This is simply a site to post photos that I've taken and that I'd like to share. These photos are copyrighted and are for viewing on this post only (not for resale or distribution). If you are really interested in obtaining one of my photos... contact me at " imagesbywilliammoore@hotmail.com" (or go directly to: www.imagesbywilliammoore.smugmug.com and http://wacm3.redbubble.com/ ). . Enjoy.
www.imagesbywilliammoore.smugmug.com

How I know God guides my photography.....

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies announce what his hands have made. Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again. They have no speech or words; they have no voice to be heard. But their message goes out through all the world; their words go everywhere on earth." Psalm 19: 1 - 4 (NCV).

Every time I look through the lens of my camera I see God working. Every day He reveals His majesty. Every night He shows me how He creates beauty even in the darkness. Even if I had not known Him before I started taking photos, the moment I looked at His creation up close (or far away) I see His glory and He guides me to see His beauty in all He has created. Photography just allows me to capture an image of what He has created.

Friday, January 30, 2009

A Path To Nowhere - Viviers Sur Rhone, France

Every once and awhile you'll take a photo that you really don't expect to have unexpected nuances. Where what you thought you saw was more than what you really saw. For me, this was such a picture. While on a recent trip to Southern France (Viviers Sur Rhone) I turned a corner in this very old, very beautiful French town (only about 7,000 in population, but over 2,000 years of history) and there it was, the"Allee Du Rhone" (Alley of Rhone)....

It had been very cold and rainy that day (December 30, 2008) and the sky was very overcast and gloomy. The streets were wet and pooled with icy water. Because I chose not to bring my DSLR on this trip, I only had my trusty point and shoot (Sony Cyber-shot DCSW150 (8.1 Mega Pixel camera). It didn't seem to matter though. I took this photo at 1/100 of a second using an ISO setting of 100. Because point and shoot camera lens are very different than DSLR lens, the setting was F3 with a focal lengthe of 3 (which would be somewhere in the 50 mm range of a DSLR. No additional contrast or satruation were set (Landscape - Auto Exposure)... As I said, just a simple point and shoot. Although I prefer to shoot with my DSLR, I'm not that much of a photography purest when it comes to which camera I use. Which ever is more convienent and less cumbersom is my choice for the shoot.

The reason I say this photograph has unexpected nuances is because the longer I looked at it the more drawn into it I became. Little odd things started to appear that I had not noticed when I was physically on this little tree lined alley that lead from the Rhone River to the center of the town. The longer I gazed the photo actually had my mind mentally turning the picture and giving the photo a different look and feel. The photo above is actually a flipped version of the original photo (which I posted below)...

I don't know, maybe the original says it's not that dark of a day and it was only the standing water that made the trees dark. The flipped version really reflected more of how the day looked and felt. No matter what direction the photo is in, the feelings I experience change with each shift in position. What ever is going on, it's photos like this that cause me to see the world differently than if I was just walking along and not observing changes around me. Years ago this would just have been another street; today, it's a story.

My photos are now available for purchase:

After months and months of showing my photos on "Looking Through My Eyes"... at local area galleries and shows, and being told over and over that I needed to start selling my images I decided to do just that.As of this posting my photos are available online with professional quality prints through the professional photo lab "BayPhoto"... My images (and your selections) can be made at my commercial site: www.imagesbywilliammoore.smugmug.com

Drop on over and take a look.If you see a photo you would like on this or the "Images by" site, you can also contact me at "Imagesbywilliammoore@hotmail.com".Special orders can be made through "WhiteHouse Photo" or "Adorama Pix" for larger sizes.

Check out where my photos can be found for other specialized prints

Am I a "Professional Photographer"?

Ever since I first picked up a camera I have been in love with what a camera can do.Starting off in film and learning darkroom techniques, I’ve enjoyed spending hours upon hours with my eyes scanning to horizons and focusing down on even the smallest of objects .I enjoy talking and writingabout my “photographing” experiences.

Just what is it about photography that makes it such a powerful medium and draws me in? Beside the joy of experiencing nature and allowing my creative side to grow, I also enjoy the new technological innovations of capturing images. What is that X-Factor that has embedded photography into almost every culture across the globe and people of all walks of life to engage in it?Photography has an incredible legacy since its development and has given people the ability to share their story for generations to come and influence cultures around the world.

I’ve been asked if I am a "Professional photographer".... well, there is a simple answer to that question: "No!". I'm not a professional photographer as photography is not my occupation (just a passion).

I've have sold many of my photos in galleries, however I’ve never focused on the “sales” part of photographing.I’ve probably given away more photos than I have sold.Photography for me is enjoyment. I'll leave the business part to the "Professionals"... I just enjoy taking interesting and unusual photos and sharing them - if someone wants to purchase one of my photos, well, that's just a bonus for me and allows me the flexibility to get out and take more photos. My web site where people can purchase photos is: http://www.imagesbywilliammoore.smugmug.com or at: http://wacm3.redbubble.com .

Photographing allows me to look at things differently.When I've my camera in hand, pillars become frames; rain becomes a mirror; clouds have forms in them, and I can forget for a moment all that is going on around me. It slows me down and lifts me up. Everyone should have a camera with them to change their perspective of their surroundings; there is beauty even where there appears to be none. Too often we choose not to see it, even when it is right before us. Photographing allows me that “moment of quiet”; then later I can share that time with others.

My hope is that through my photography others will stop, even for a moment, and share the beauty I see. If anyone is interested in my work, they can contact me atimagesbywilliammoore@hotmail.com . I appreciate comments on this blog in the comment section and if there is something that catches your eye or you have a location you think I might enjoy photographing, please share it.I encourage viewers of my work to offer their constructive suggestions on how to improve what a photograph also.

My Philosophy (or the lack of) in my photos

The philosophy behind the photoFor over forty years I have had an interest in photography. In the days of film and the darkroom, it was like the dark ages. I'd take a photo, hope and pray that I did everything right, step back and wait to see how close I could come to what I was seeing. The dark room was not always my friend.

Today, with the advent of digital photography and the quality of digital cameras and various programs available to process the final image, even I can manage to produce a quality photo.

I'm not a professional photographer. I don't even consider myself an experienced amateur photographer. No, I'm just someone who loves the process of photography. I enjoy sharing what I see and the joy in the face of others when they look at my work.

I don't have a philosophy in my photographing; I'll leave that to the really great photographers to develop. All I know is that when I am looking through the lens and waiting for that special moment to push the shutter to capture that split second in time, I get a feeling that I am creating memories not just for myself, but for others to share. That's the only photo philosophy I have... just enjoying the process and the result.

-Albert Einstein"A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them. But as people live on, they change completely. That is why I think a photograph can be kind."

To shoot poignant pictures we only need follow the path of our enthusiasm. I believe that this feeling is the universe's way of telling us that we are doing the right thing. The viewing public will always disagree over the intrinsic merits of a particular photograph, but no one can deny the enthusiasm that originally inspired us to capture and offer that image to others. - Timothy Allen

If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment. - Linda McCartney

You can't take a picture of something that is not in front of the camera. You can slant the angle wrong, you can light it wrong, you can lie in what you set before the camera, but the camera itself does not lie, you can fiddle with the picture afterwards you can develop it. But we implicitly know that there had to be something in front of that camera and so we tend to believe it since we tend to believe our eyes. - Vicki Goldberg

In my view you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it. - Emile Zola